It is well known to mechanically crimp terminals onto the end of electrical wires. Crimping provides a permanent electrical and mechanical connection between the wire and the terminal. Such connections are common in single and multi-strand wires. The terminals typically include a nest portion that receives the wire and at least one wing portion which overlies the wire and is crimped thereto along with the body of the terminal defining the nest portion so as to securely hold the wire therebetween.
One of the problems with crimped connections is that, following the crimping step, the wing(s) will frequently spring back somewhat resulting in a somewhat looser grip on the wire than occurs while the wire/terminal are in the jaws of the crimper. Such spring back often leaves small air gaps between the terminal and the wire. The electrical resistance between crimped terminals and their associated wire typically increases with time as the wires and terminals oxidize and contaminants accumulate in the air gaps that are formed between the wire and the terminal. This problem is more acute in multi-strand wires where the crimping operation also tends to separate some of the strands forming small gaps therebetween and providing a higher surface area exposed to such oxidation/contamination then would otherwise occur if the bundle of wires had not been squeezed in the crimper.
One way to eliminate the aforesaid problem and provide a permanent low-resistance connection is to solder the terminal to the wire. The solder forms a stable metallurgical bond to both the terminal and the wire which precludes subsequent oxidation/contamination from occurring in the gaps and forms a conductive metallic bridge between the wires and terminals which provides a long term, low-resistance connection. Unfortunately, crimped and soldered connections are expensive to manufacture, and often difficult to control, process-wise. It would be desirable if an inexpensive technique could be developed to provide a conductive metal bridge between a wire and a terminal crimped thereon which, in turn, produces a long term, low-resistance connection.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an unique low-resistance, crimped-on, wire-terminal connection having a low resistance, metallic bridge between the terminal and the wire, and a simple, inexpensive technique for making such a connection.
This and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description thereof which follows.